Congressman Bill Keating, who represents the South Shore, South Coast, Cape, and Islands, has been appointed to sit on the influential House Armed Services Committee (HASC). This Committee will replace his past assignment on the House Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman Keating will continue serving on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
“This is a great committee assignment for our district, and I am honored the Speaker and Steering and Policy Committee have appointed me to the Armed Services Committee,” said Congressman Keating. “With Joint Base Cape Cod right at the center of our district, as well as numerous other military and research initiatives housed both on the base and throughout the South Coast and South Shore, we will be able to influence policy that directly affects thousands of our service members and civilian employees. Moreover, this Committee assignment will allow me to continue to work to bring new missions to the base. Joint Base Cape Cod is not just a forward-looking military installation with continually developing technology partnerships, it is a huge economic engine for our entire district. It contributes substantially to our nation’s readiness through its many military installations and by serving as a unique hub for research and development.”
“I’d like to congratulate Congressmen Keating on his appointment to the House Armed Services Committee,” said Col. Virginia Gaglio, 102nd Intelligence Wing Commander. “Joint Base Cape Cod and the Massachusetts National Guard have appreciated a long and supportive collaboration with Congressmen Keating. I sincerely appreciate all that he does for our men and women in uniform, and I look forward to a continued partnership with our Congressmen and the Cape Cod community.”
“Congressman Keating’s appointment to the Armed Services Committee will exponentially benefit the growing blue economy sector in Southeastern Massachusetts,” said Hugh Dunn, Executive Director of the SouthCoast Development Partnership. “From Hydroid to Lockheed Martin Sippican, from UMass Dartmouth to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and across the border to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, there are tremendous marine economy assets in the region. I am confident that the Congressman will champion the growth of these high paying jobs in the region, and the advancement of technology that maintains our nation’s military superiority.”
In FY15, the Department of Defense invested more than $12 billion in Massachusetts, putting it in the top ten states for defense spending and supporting over 57,000 jobs.
Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC) houses the United States Air Force’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, the largest Army National Guard training site in New England, as well as Air National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard missions alongside sixteen other Federal and State agencies. JBCC is also home to the 6th Space Warning Squadron, which is responsible for intercontinental missile warning and space surveillance. The Cape Cod Air Force Station’s PAVE PAWS system is one of only two in the contiguous United States and monitors the entire Eastern Seaboard. The Army National Guard’s Camp Edwards training facility on JBCC is one of only three locations in the Northeast that contain full-scale training centers designed to simulate Forward Operating Bases in countries around the world, including Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2015, Congressman Keating joined the Air National Guard in announcing a new Cyber Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance unit at JBCC, and a new Data Protection Unit should soon be operational on the base as well.
Also of note, the Ninth District is home to the largest percentage of military veterans in the state.
In addition to assignment on HASC, Congressman Keating is expected to be a Chairman of one of the Subcommittees of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees’ work will dovetail as Congressman Keating continues his efforts to strengthen our alliances in Europe while defending against the continuing – and different - threats posed by Russia and China, among others.